In a troubling time, when many of the major countries of the world are at war with one another, a photograph such as this might, at first glance, appear to be peaceful and worry-free. This photograph, among a large group of others, was taken to simply depict the way of life in various regions of the United States. But behind this most basic of goals, the photographer is making an argument about the sheep herder's way of life. Through this photograph, the photographer wants the audience to experience, first hand, the arduous struggles of the sheep herding culture. The major elements of the photograph are aligned in such a way that the nature of the relationships between these elements can be clearly seen. These elements are contrasted against the background in order to draw the attention of the audience and bring into question the major differences between the background and foreground. Furthermore, through methods of strategically framing the photograph, the background is given a role that rivals the importance of the elements in the foreground.
In the primary photograph, both the shepherd and his horse are facing the left edge of the picture. This is similar to nearly every picture I found depicting the idea of Manifest Destiny in which people are shown either traveling or looking to the left. These leftward vectors of attention are used because, to an audience viewing a picture, left is easily associated with a westward direction. Because the primary photograph was taken in 1942, the photographer, Russel Lee, most likely wasn't trying to make the audience think of Manifest Destiny itself so much as the time period and the traditional sense of the "American Old West." The photographer uses this pathos to present the shepherd as a sort of classical representation of the stereotypical tough, gun-slinging cowboys who has experienced all sorts of rough adventures out in the "Wild West."An overwhelming number of sheep herders originated from regions in Spain and France that make up the Basque Country. Many Basques immigrated to America in order to start making a living. In most cases, Basque people planned on moving back to their homeland to start their own business once they had made enough money farming or herding in America. Most Basque immigrants chose sheep herding as a profession because a history of farming and hard work had prepared them for such a business. The shepherd's way of life turned out to be a bit tougher than initial speculations, though. While most shepherds stood strong through rough times, many changed professions after a few years primarily because of the overwhelming sense of complete social isolation. The sheep's constant demand of the shepherd's supervision played a major role in this, too. (Laughlin)
This complete social isolation is a major focus of the primary photograph, presented by the choice of background. The background displayed in the primary photograph is only a small portion of a large area known as Gravelly Range in Madison County, Montana, where ranching is a major business activity. The picture to the left, however, shows another view of Gravelly Range. Clearly, this depiction of the extensive mountain range differs greatly from the primary photograph. For one, the number of elements is far greater than the background of the primary photograph. In this photograph, rocks are scattered in the grass, trees are spread throughout the rolling hills, snowy mountains tower high above the trees, and numerous clouds cover the sky. The background of the primary photograph contains only grass-covered hills and a blue sky with some clouds in the distance. The simplicity of the background does more than help to direct the attention of the audience towards the shepherd, horse, and dog. It emphasizes the lonely life of solitude that attacks the sheep herder from every side. Additionally, the scale of the clouds is used in a way that makes the hills seem to stretch into infinite distances, overpowering the shepherd with a vast, uninhabited land from which there is no escape.
Most people would expect a photograph of a sheep herder to include at least a portion of the sheep herder's flock. However, in the primary photograph's situation, adding sheep to the picture would display additional relationships, which would do all but support the photographer's argument. Including multiple relationships within the photograph wouldn't necessarily mean that the shepherd has a strong companionship with every single sheep, but it would take the focus of the audience away from the empty background, losing the emphasis on the solitary conditions of the sheep herding way of life.Even the look on the sheep herder's face supports this idea of solitude. As mentioned before, the shepherd's vector of attention is directed to the left, off the edge of the photograph. More than that, though, the shepherd appears to be looking into the distance, as if examining this vast expanse of empty land for himself. He doesn't have a smile on his face; rather, his face appears rather emotionless, as if he has experienced this overwhelming feeling of solitude every day of his life and has begun to grow used to it.
The shepherd isn't completely alone, however; he always has his trusty horse and loyal dog. The dog in specific is aligned with the shepherd in such a way that the audience notices the relationship between the two of them. The dog's vector of attention is directed straight up to the shepherd, and his posture suggests that he is ready to jump at any command given by his master. Here, the herding dog is used as a symbol of companionship and loyalty, creating the perfect image of "man's best friend." To many sheep herders, this is exactly the relationship that should exist between shepherd and herding dog. One present day shepherd describes this relationship as "a partnership in which both the shepherd and the dog work together out of mutual trust and respect" (Nickelsberg 5).This close relationship between the herding dog and the shepherd display the only form of companionship experienced by the shepherd, which makes the relationship all the more noticeable to the audience. The shepherd, dog and horse stand out from the background because of their contrasting hues. In the same way that the colors are used to make the elements more noticeable, the sole relationship between the shepherd and his dog are made even more noticeable because of the background's pathos of solitude and emptiness. The background, in turn, is made more noticeable because of the few elements in the foreground. In other words, the shepherd's companionship with the dog emphasizes the background and its tendency to create feelings of loneliness.
So what do the difficult lives of sheep herders in 1942 have anything to do with our lives today? Most of us here probably don't spend our time in the mountains herding sheep all day; however, everyone comes across difficulties of some sort every now and then. Sometimes you might feel as if you have the most difficult life in the world. I'm sure that when the shepherd feels this way, he embraces the companionship of his dog and horse, and pulls through his troubling times no matter the overwhelming feeling of isolation.
Works Cited
Laughlin, Mike. "Basque Ranching Culture." 2009. Lee Raine. 18 Sept. 2009 <http://www.cowboyshowcase.com/basque.htm>.
Nickelsberg, Ellen. "Large Flock Sheep Herding: The Working Relationship." 2009. Ranch Dog Trainer <http://www.german-shepherdherding.com/sheepherding.htm>.
